This invention relates to fuel burning devices and more particularly to a method and apparatus for converting liquid fuel to gas fuel and utilizing the gas fuel for a burner.
Fuel burning equipment are well known and are of numerous different types. Essentially, the type of equipment will depend on the fuel being utilized. Some equipment are designed to receive solid fuel such as coal while others are able to utilize gas fuel. One of the most popular types of fuel burning equipment are those which utilize liquid fuel as either oil, kerosene, gasoline, or standard heating number 2 fuel.
The fuel burning equipment, especially of the liquid fuel type are utilized for numerous purposes. For example they can be in the form of an oil furnace for use in home heating equipment. Additionally, such liquid fuel burning equipment is also utilized as part of hot water heaters, stoves, industrial boilers, and even the internal combustion engine can be considered as such as liquid fuel burning system.
Most of the conventional liquid fuel burning devices take the liquid fuel, such as oil, and atomize the oil into small drops by means of pressure. The air pressure can be supplied by a motor driven fan or a rotary burner type. In such cases, the atomized liquid fuel mixed with the air is sent to a burner where the heat and flame is produced. Other types of oil burners send the oil directly into the furnace chamber. The oil is permitted to give off some of its vapor and this vapor flows upwardly in the furnace toward the burner which is positioned at the top. As it moves upward, it combines with air and this combination is then burned.
One of the main problems with existing types of fuel burning equipment concerns the efficiency of operation. Part of the reduced efficiency occurs in the lack of utilization of all of the fuel. There is much fuel waste in all types of existing equipment since not all of the fuel is atomized or vaporized and accordingly many liquid particles remain. Some of these liquid particles are not utilized at all and accordingly reduces the amount of output heat from a given supply of fuel. An additional loss of efficiency results in the fact that much of the fuel remains in its liquid form in larger particles and cannot burn during the given amount of time for the burning cycle. As a result, these particles are never sufficiently converted into heat and provide another source of heat loss.
In addition to actual heat loss and lack of efficiency of existing equipment, the conventional type of burners, and especially oil burning equipment, produce a tremendous amount of pollutants. Much of the liquid fuel particles are converted into soot and other waste products which pollute the atmosphere as well as providing dirt in the environment around the fuel burning equipment. Also, the lack of complete burning produces smoke and other odors in the environment also tending the pollute the atmosphere.
Other problems also exist in connection with the present type of fuel burning equipment, and especially the oil burners. Because the liquid fuel is either atomized or the vapors form naturally from the fuel, there still exists large particles of liquid fuel throughout the burner. These tend to clog the holes in the conventional burner which can often create a dangerous system whereby an inefficient amount of fuel and air mixture is provided. Also, when a sufficient number of the holes are clogged and are not properly maintained, explosions could also frequently occur in the furnace or fuel burning equipment.